Nursery Growers Course 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 6 lessons:

1 Plant Identification and Culture

• Plant Names
• Levels of Division
• Terminology
• Pronunciation of Plant Names
• Botanical Families of Genera
• Growing Plants in a Greenhouse
• Siting Greenhouses
• Greenhouse Benches and Beds
• Cladding Materials and Their Properties
• Greenhouse Checklist
• Shade Houses
• Environmental Factors That Influence Plant Growth
• Temperature Control
• Heat Loss
• Localised Heaters
• Greenhouse Cooling
• Ventilators
• Carbon Dioxide
• Light Factors - Lighting Equipment
• Artificial Light
• Plant Needs
• Problems With Greenhouses
• Optimum Growth Requirements for Certain Plants
• Plants and Water
• The Nursery Irrigation Program
• Greenhouse Irrigation Equipment and Methods
• Weeds and Steps in Controlling
• Weed Control in Greenhouses
• Recommended Weedicides For Use in a Nursery

2 Plant Propagation Techniques

• Methods of Propagating Plants
• Hormone Treatment of Cuttings
• Other Chemical Treatments
• Propagation Media
• Mixes/Substrates For Striking Cuttings/Starting Seed
• Cold Frames
• Heated Propagators
• Containers
• What is a Perched Water Table?
• Comparing Materials
• Problems With Containers
• Labels
• Stakes, Trellises and Trainers
• Plant Selection
• Shrubs Which Withstand Wet Soils
• Shrubs Which Withstand Very Wet Soils
• Shrubs Which Grow in shaded Areas
• Shrubs Suited to Coastal Areas
• Shrubs Suited to Cold Areas (Resisting frost and cold winters)
• Elements in the Garden that influence Plant Selection
• Creating Moods with Plants
• Selecting Plants For Us in Horticultural Solutions
• Colourful Year-Round Foliage
• Annual and Herbaceous Plants
• Types of Annual Plants
• Selecting Herbaceous Plants
• Selecting Woody Plants
• Trees
• Problems With Trees
• Deciduous or Semi-Deciduous Trees
• Deciduous Trees
• Guide to Shrubs in the Landscape

3 Soils and Nutrition

• The Soil
• Naming the Soil
• Improving Soils
• The Nutrient Elements
• Major Elements
• Minor Elements
• Total Salts
• Diagnosis of Nutritional Problems
• Potting Media
• Nursery Nutrition Management

4 Seed Propagation

• Sources of Seed
• Maintaining Genetic Identity in Seed
• Hybrid Seed Production
• Storing Seed
• Difficult seeds
• Dormancy Factors Affecting Germination
• Germination Treatments
• Sowing Seeds

5 Cutting Propagation

• Where to Get Your Cuttings
• Classification of Cuttings Types
• Types of Cuttings
• Variations
• More on Softwood Cuttings
• More on Semi-Hardwood Cuttings
• More on Hardwood Cuttings
• Taking Hardwood Cuttings: Evergreen
• Taking Hardwood Cuttings: Deciduous
• Production Systems
• Special Plant Treatments
• How to Maintain Plants in Pots
• Plant Modification to Achieve Uniformity
• Practical: Prepare a pot of cuttings and estimate the cost of production for each cutting produced

6 Pest and Diseases

• Horticultural Management in a Greenhouse
• The U.C. System and Minimising Disease
• Rules to Maintain Sanitation
• Integrated Pest Management
• Chemical Methods of Pest Control
• Non Chemical Methods
• Pests and Diseases
• List of Diseases: Diagnosis, Symptoms and Control
• Plant Viruses - Their Detection and Diagnosis
• Virus Control
• List of Pests: Identification/Signs, Symptoms and Control
• Environmental Problems
• Common Environmental Problems